Rebeca Grynspan: the new Secretary-General of UNCTAD

Rebeca Grynspan from Costa Rica will be the new Secretary General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).

First of all, UNCTAD is a permanent intergovernmental body established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1964.

UNCTAD is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, and operates offices in New York and Addis Ababa.

Likewise, UNCTAD is part of the UN Secretariat, reports to the UN General Assembly and the Economic and Social Council, but has its own membership, leadership and budget.

The agency is also part of the United Nations Development Group.

The appointment of Grynspan to the post by the UN Secretary General, António Guterres, was approved this Friday by the UN General Assembly.

Grynspan is the first woman and Central American to be appointed Secretary General of UNCTAD.

She is also an economist and the current Ibero-American Secretary General.

Rebeca Grynspan

She has had a prolific career, holding a number of high-level positions, including Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations and Associate Administrator of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).

She was also the UNDP Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean, a member of the High Level Group on Financing for Development, and Vice President of Costa Rica (1994 to 1998).

«I believe that, at this critical time, UNCTAD can make an essential contribution to a more just, sustainable and inclusive recovery for all,» said Grynspan.

UNCTAD Acting Secretary General Isabelle Durant welcomed the appointment and said: «This is great news for UNCTAD. The timely incorporation of Ms. Grynspan as our Secretary General will be key to guiding us in the implementation of a new chapter. and mandate to be defined during our fifteenth ministerial conference, UNCTAD15, in October this year.»